Fryer atmosphere control for mold form fryer

ABSTRACT

A mold form fryer utilizing a top conveyor that transports snack pieces through a constant velocity oil stream without the need of a bottom mating mold or conveyor. Herein, the form fryer having a fryer housing for controlling the frying atmosphere is provided with a top conveyor disposed above a fryer oil pan positioned longitudinally through the fryer. Uncooked snack pieces are provided to the fryer oil pan by a bottom entrance conveyor. A steam shield separates a front-end vestibule from the downstream portion of the fryer housing, and inert gas manifolds introduce inert gas into the front-end vestibule, thereby providing a sufficiently low oxygen and sufficiently low condensable gas or steam environment near the product submerging point.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/347,993, titled “Single Mold Form Fryer with EnhancedProduct Control” and filed on Jan. 21, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.6,875,458, the technical disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to improved atmosphere control for a fryerassembly for the fabrication of snack food. More particularly, theinvention relates to using inert, non condensable and non reactive,gases with precise location of inert gas injection within an enclosedenvironment within the fryer housing in order to reduce frying mediumdegradation, such as oil, and product defects by reducing frying mediumand product exposure to undesired condensable or reactive gases such assteam and oxygen.

2. Description of Related Art

Snack pieces are known to be prepared with the use of fryers. Generally,snack pieces such as fabricated potato crisps are formed from dough andare sheeted and cut into discrete pieces (pre-forms) for treatment.Treatment involves cooking the pre-forms in a fryer to produce cookedsnack pieces. There are several types of prior art fryers typically usedin the snack food industry for frying snack food products that requirerelatively even frying on all sides of the product. In general, thesefryers cook product as it passes through in a stream of hot oil.

Particularly with potato crisps, a form fryer is beneficial becausepre-forms can be molded and cooked into a desired product shape. A formfryer is a fryer for producing snack pieces having generally twoconveyors, an upper and a lower conveyor. On each conveyor are molds orsurfaces designed to interact with the opposing conveyor's molds orsurfaces. After pre-forms are placed in the fryer, the top mold orcontact surface keeps the now cooking pre-form beneath the surface ofthe oil until the fryer exit.

In general, potato slices release steam when they are fried. In manyprior art deep-fat/oil frying processes, the amount of steam releasedduring frying helps keep oxygen from entering and oxidizing the cookingoil. Fabricated potato pieces, however, typically have much lowermoisture content upon frying compared to fresh potato slices. With lesssteam available to keep oxygen out of the fryer, the cooking oiloxidizes more rapidly. In the prior art, this problem has been addressedby introducing sparge steam into the atmosphere above the frying oil.Prior art systems also control oil oxidation levels by bleeding anddiscarding oil from the fryer and replacing discarded oil with freshoil.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a prior art form fryer. The fryer assembly 10has a fryer housing 12 that contains conveyors for moving pre-formstherethrough. To maintain desired environmental conditions within thehousing 12, steam or inert gas may be circulated through portions aboveand around oil within the fryer and is supplied through a port 14,although additional ports may be added as needed. A top belt 20 isdisposed in a top portion of the fryer housing 12 and is supported androtated by two rollers 22, 24. A bottom belt 30 is disposed beneath thetop belt 20. The bottom belt 30 is a continuous loop belt and issupported and rotated by two rollers 32, 34. A fryer pan 50 containing abody of oil 52 is situated within the fryer housing 12 so that at leasta portion of the top and bottom belts 20, 30, when adjacent to eachother, are passed through the oil 52. Oil 52 is circulated through afryer pan 50 from an oil inlet 54 to an oil outlet 56 by, for example, apump (not shown). Oil may be maintained at a desired cooking temperaturewith steam that is jacketed around the fryer pan 50.

For cooking, pre-forms are led towards the fryer by the bottom belt 30starting at about the input-side roller 32. The pre-forms are thenfollowed from above by the top belt 20 and led towards a point in theoil 52 where the bottom belt 30 comes into close proximity with the topbelt 20. By at least this point, the pre-forms have made contact with atleast one mold surface. While not depicted, molds are commonly placed onat least the exterior surface of the top belt 20 but may also be placedon the exterior surface of the bottom belt 30. Once the pre-forms aresecured between the top and bottom belts 20, 30, which run substantiallyparallel to each other through the oil 52, they are introduced to thehot cooking oil 52 at an oil entry point 53. The pre-forms thereaftertravel through the hot oil 52 in the oil pan 50 completely submergeduntil they emerge from the oil 52 at an oil exit point 55. A typicalform fryer may be operated with an oil frying temperature between 240 to400° F., although it is preferably operated between 320 to 380° F.Thereafter, the cooked snack pieces are transferred by the oil andconducted along the exit portion of the bottom belt 30 and aretransferred to the next segment of the overall process at about theoutput-side roller 34 for seasoning, if desired, and packaging.

By using a form fryer such as the prior art example fryer assembly 10,snack foods, such as potato crisps, are capable of being fabricated witha standard and desirable shape. The frying of individual pieces presentsnumerous difficulties such as wrinkling, folding, clumping, and stickingto cooking surfaces. With the use of a form fryer, as opposed to othertypes of frying, a number of these difficulties can be resolved.

While form fryers resolve a significant number of problems in fryingsnack pieces, form fryers require a significant volume of oil. A largevolume of equipment, along with the food product to be fried, must passthrough hot oil and remain submerged for a time sufficient to cook theproduct. In traditional form fryers, there must be enough oil tosubmerge two conveyor belts, at least one product mold, and the productto be cooked. A considerable amount of energy, and thus money, isrequired to heat, pump and maintain this large volume of oil.

In addition, there is significant expenditure associated with replacingoxidized oil with fresh oil. Because form fryers typically have at leastone conveyor with surfaces that cycle between the air and oil, theequipment itself introduces oxygen to the oil. Oil in the systemgradually becomes oxidized as it absorbs oxygen at the air/oil interfaceand from submerging conveyor material. Oil oxidation causes oil to gorancid over time, thus the oxidized oil in the system must be replacedwith fresh oil periodically. It would therefore be advantageous toreduce the volume of submerged equipment without adversely affecting theperformance of the fryer. If the volume of submerged equipment can bereduced, the opportunity for such equipment to introduce oxygen into theoil can be reduced, thus slowing oxidation and reducing costs associatedwith replacing oxidized oil with fresh oil. In addition, expendituresfor heating, pumping, and maintaining the oil can also be reduced.

A desirable feature of molded snack pieces is that they can be madeuniform in size and shape. With uniformity, the snack pieces can bepackaged in a seated alignment. This allows for the packaging of snackproduct into a canister as opposed to being packed loosely in a bag.Canister packaging provides a degree of protection against breakage ofthe snack pieces while providing improved transportability of the snackpieces both in bulk and in individual canisters. Also, canisters can besealed with a lid after opening to deter product degradation.

For packaging of uniformly shaped product such as curved ellipses, (forexample, an ellipse having its longer sides curved upward in the samedirection) snack pieces are stacked first before filling in a canister.Snack pieces can be stacked one directly over another, or they can bepartially overlapped in a similar manner as rooftop shingles areoverlapped. After such overlapping, the product pieces are then pushedtogether so that each piece is directly over the other. While it ispossible to stack curved product pieces either with concave sides up orconcave sides down, the product pieces may be more amenable to stackingin one particular orientation, depending on the product shape.

For example, thin, elliptical product pieces having upwardly-curvedsides are more easily stacked with their concave sides down rather thanup. In the event that two adjacent product pieces fail to overlap, thosepieces can only be forced to stack one over the other if their adjacentedges are at different heights. With their concave sides up, twoadjacent elliptical product pieces cannot be restacked because theiradjacent product edges would lie flat against the conveyor, and thoseedges would confront each other upon pushing the pieces together. Withtheir concave sides down, however, the product pieces are able to rockback and forth on their downwardly curving edges in the direction oftravel. This ability to rock makes it highly unlikely that the adjacentedges of two pieces would confront each other at the same verticallevel. One product piece will thus be able to overlap and eventuallystack over the other.

Conventional molds are convex and produce shaped snack pieces withconcave sides facing upwards and away from the bottom belt. While theconcave-side up orientation may be more suitable for seasoning, theconcave-side down orientation, as previously explained, is often betterfor stacking. The product therefore must be flipped prior to packaging.If the cooked product left the fryer with concave sides facing downtowards the fryer bottom belt, the product would not require flipping,albeit at the slight expense of seasoning efficiency.

Another problem encountered with prior art form fryers is the difficultyof providing a bottom conveyor that can accommodate the evolving shapeof cooking product. As the product to be fried typically enters thefryer with one shape and exits with another, it is difficult to design aprior art bottom conveyor with product receptacles that can accommodatethe shapes of both pre-forms and cooked product.

One solution to the above issues is disclosed in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/347,993, which is incorporated herein by reference.Specifically, a form fryer for cooking snack products is disclosed inaccordance with one embodiment of that invention in FIG. 2. A fryerassembly 100 receives snack products to be fried at an entrance area102. After cooking, the snack products exit the fryer assembly 100 at anexit area 104. Between the entrance area 102 and the exit area 104 is afryer housing 112 having a port 114 for controlling the fryerenvironment above the cooking snack products. While shown as a singleport, the port 114 is merely representative of numerous ports that canbe provided as desired to effect additional embodiments. As shown, thefryer assembly 100 may be used to cook snack pieces made substantiallyfrom potatoes such as a dough comprising flaked dehydrated potatoes.Snack pieces formed by the present invention, however, may be comprisedof alternative farinaceous mixtures.

Prior to being cooked, dough, formulated to produce the preferred snackpieces, is formed and sheeted into pre-forms (uncooked snack pieces).The dough typically comprises a substantially dry mixture of starchproduct, sugar and other additives. Examples of starch products that maybe utilized include any starches, native (unmodified) and modified,selected for their ability to improve the texture, consistency, anddurability of food products and to improve the processing of dough intofood products, all as known in the field of art.

Returning to FIG. 2, the fryer assembly 100 processes pre-forms (notshown) through a form fryer with a top conveyor 120, a bottom entranceconveyor 130, and a bottom exit conveyor 140. On the top conveyor 120, aplurality of molds (not shown) are distributed about its exteriorcircumference for engaging and molding pre-forms to produce cookedshaped snack pieces. The top conveyor 120 may comprise an oil-pervious,chain-link structure of a durable material such as stainless steel orother metals, a ceramic, or a polymer-based material capable ofwithstanding exposure to hot oil. Supporting and conducting the topconveyor 120 are two rollers 122, 124. As shown, the two rollers 122,124 may include teeth for engaging the top conveyor 120 to power therotation. Generally, rotational power is provided by only one of the tworollers 122, 124.

For cooking, pre-forms are fed toward the top conveyor 120 on the bottomentrance conveyor 130. The bottom entrance conveyor 130 may comprise anoil-pervious, chain-link structure of a durable material such asstainless steel or another type of metal, a ceramic, or a polymer-basedmaterial capable of withstanding exposure to hot oil. Alternatively, thebottom entrance conveyor 130 may also comprise any food-grade,perforated, durable, but flexible material able to withstand frying oiltemperatures. The bottom entrance conveyor 130 is supported andconducted by several rollers 132, 134, 136, 138, at least one of whichis a submerged roller 134. As shown in FIG. 2, the path of the bottomentrance conveyor 130 about several rollers 132, 134, 136, 138 is oneexample of an entrance conveyor pathway in accordance with theinvention. Desirable pathways include those that minimize removal offryer oil, allow for cooling of the entrance conveyor, and are otherwiseeconomical. The pathway set forth by this arrangement of rollers shownallows the bottom entrance conveyor 130 to pass through an area outsideof the fryer housing 112. Traveling through an area outside of the fryerhousing 112 allows the bottom entrance conveyor 130 to cool or be cooledprior to contacting pre-forms. Cooling the bottom entrance conveyor 130helps minimize pre-form exposure to heat before entering the cooking oil152. Such pre-cooking heat exposure can cause undesirable pre-formdeformation and wrinkling.

The configuration in FIG. 2 is also beneficial because rotational powercan be supplied to a roller outside of the fryer housing 112, such asthe input-side roller 132. As the volume of a fryer housing is normallyminimized for economical reasons such as heating and control of thefryer atmosphere, positioning equipment such as the input-side roller132 outside of the fryer housing 112 is desirable. As will be shown,additional pathways are possible.

At about the input-side roller 132, pre-forms are deposited onto afeeding segment of the bottom entrance conveyor 130 and are conductedinto the fryer housing 112. Alternatively, pre-forms can be depositedonto the bottom entrance conveyor 130 at a point closer to where thepre-forms enter the oil in order to reduce exposure to heat prior toimmersion in the cooking oil 152. As pre-immersion thermal stress cancause pre-forms to wrinkle and deform, it is important to reduce heatexposure prior to cooking in the oil 152. Pre-immersion heat exposurealso makes the pre-forms more likely to stick to the bottom entranceconveyor, which makes it more difficult to transfer the pre-forms to thetop conveyor. Another way to reduce pre-immersion heat exposure is tominimize the length of the feeding segment of the bottom entranceconveyor. The feeding segment is the top surface of the bottom entranceconveyor between the input-side roller 132 and the submerged roller 134.For example, the bottom entrance conveyor can be led horizontally intothe fryer housing, then tilted downwards into the oil as soon aspossible after reaching the oil pan 150.

However, the bottom entrance conveyor must also be tilted downwards sothat pre-forms on the bottom entrance conveyor 130 approach a locationwhere the top conveyor 120 parallels and is in close proximity with thebottom entrance conveyor 130. The pre-forms are strategically positionedin formation on the surface of the bottom entrance conveyor 130 foreventual meeting with the molds on the top conveyor 120. At the pointwhere the top and bottom conveyors begin to parallel each other in closeproximity, pre-forms are disposed between the molds on the top conveyor120 from above and the exterior surface of the bottom entrance conveyor130 from below. To direct the pre-forms into the fryer oil pan 150 forcooking in the hot oil 152, the top conveyor 120 and bottom entranceconveyor 130 are guided along an arcuate pathway into the oil 152.

It is important to note that the gap between the top conveyor 120 andthe bottom entrance conveyor 130, as well the angle at which bothconveyors 120, 130 enter the oil, should be adjusted so that at least aportion of each pre-form is in contact with at least one conveyor at anytime. If the gap and angle are not properly adjusted, the horizontaldistance between the conveyors 120, 130 at the oil surface may be largerthan the product length. The entire product must then remain at or nearthe oil surface for some distance while being transferred from thebottom entrance conveyor 130 to the top conveyor 120, during which timeproduct control is undesirably lost. Thus, the gap and angle must becontrolled.

When both the conveyor gap and angle are properly adjusted, the lengthof the air/oil interface between the top conveyor 120 and bottomconveyor 130 should be less than the length of each pre-form. In otherwords, the horizontal distance between the top conveyor 120 and thebottom entrance conveyor 130 at the oil surface, also known as the floatlength, should be less than the product length. This ensures that theproduct is under positive control at all times. For example, at a veryshallow approach angle into the oil, only a small gap between the topconveyor 120 and bottom entrance conveyor 130 can be tolerated beforethe horizontal distance between them at the oil surface becomes as largeas the product length. At a steep approach angle, however, a largervertical gap between the two conveyors 120, 130 can be tolerated beforethe horizontal distance between them at the oil surface becomes as largeas the product length. By keeping the float length shorter than theproduct length, at least one conveyor will be in contact with at least aportion of the product at any time in order to exert positive controlover the product.

After the bottom entrance conveyor 130 contacts the oil 152 in an oilpan entrance area 158, the snack pieces encounter the hot oil 152 andbegin to fry. At the same time that the frying begins, the declining topconveyor 120 forces the pre-forms to take the shape of the molds on thetop conveyor 120. Once the product is against the molds of the topconveyor 120, the bottom entrance conveyor 130 is no longer needed forthe cooking of these snack pieces. The bottom entrance conveyor 130 thenrotates about a submerged roller 134 and begins its return path toreceive new pre-forms. This returning segment of the bottom entranceconveyor 130 is called the post-feeding segment. It should be noted thatthe pathways of the bottom entrance conveyor 130 and the bottom exitconveyor 140 are at least partially inclined in order to deliver thepre-forms into the oil from above.

It is important to note that the pre-forms do not necessarily have to beless dense than the oil 152 in order to remain against the molds of thetop conveyor 120. While it is true that heavier-than-oil pre-forms wouldsink in stagnant oil, gases evolved from the oil 152 during cookingprovide an upward force against the pre-forms. This upward force keepsthe pre-forms firmly seated against the top conveyor molds.

Unlike conventional form fryers as shown and discussed above for theprior art fryer shown in FIG. 1, the discussed fryer assembly 100 andother fryer assemblies in accordance with the invention do not continuethe bottom conveyor through the entire oil pan. As shown in FIG. 2, thisallows for at least some segment of the fryer oil pan 150 to have areduced volume segment 151.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the oil pan entrance area 158 is a section ofthe fryer oil pan 150 that is large enough to accommodate a submergedroller 134 and a fryer oil inlet 154. Hot oil 152 is circulated throughthe fryer oil pan 150 so that the oil 152 flows generally along and withthe snack pieces as they cook. The oil inlet 154 provides the oil at thebeginning of the oil pan 150, and the oil outlet 156 receives the oil atthe end of the oil pan 150. Between the oil outlet 156 and the oil inlet154, the oil may be purified, heated, and pumped if needed. In thepreferred embodiment, the oil 152 travels with a velocity equal to orslightly less than that of the product and the top conveyor 120 in orderto minimize disturbance of the product as it cooks. In addition, thevelocities of the oil 152 and the various conveyors 120, 130, 140 can bestepped up from one to the next to increase positive control over theproduct. For example, the oil 152 can be made to flow slightly fasterthan the bottom entrance conveyor 130 in order to help dislodge theproduct from the bottom entrance conveyor 130. The top conveyor 120 can,in turn, be designed to move slightly faster than the oil 152 in orderto keep the product pressed firmly against the top conveyor molds.Likewise, the bottom exit conveyor 140, to be later described, can moveeither at the same speed or slightly faster than the top conveyor 120 inorder to properly transfer product from the top conveyor 120 to thebottom exit conveyor 140.

After the product travels downstream through the oil pan entrance area158, a reduced volume segment 151 is encountered. As the width of thefryer oil pan does not change, it is the height in this segment 151 thatis reduced. This reduction is possible along this segment because of theabsence of a bottom conveyor, thus oil 152 is only needed at about wherethe snack pieces are cooking along the top conveyor 120. Therefore, theheight along this segment 151 needs to at least accommodate the heightof a top conveyor 120 with its molds but does not have to accommodatethe height of two conveyors. Prior art form fryer assemblies utilizingconveyors require a volume of oil large enough to submerge a topconveyor with molds, a lower conveyor used to transport snack piecesinto and out of the cooking oil 152, as well as rollers and otherequipment necessary to guide those conveyors. This renders prior artform fryer assemblies more expensive to operate because of the need toheat, purify, pump, and maintain a larger volume of oil. Having areduced volume segment 151 with no bottom conveyor, in accordance withthe present invention, thus reduces the oil volume and cuts costsassociated with oil heating and maintenance.

In addition, the reduced volume segment 151 with no bottom conveyorhelps reduce the expenditure associated with replacing oxidized oil withfresh oil. Because there is no bottom conveyor throughout the reducedvolume segment 151, there is less bottom conveyor material submerged inthe oil at any time. Hence there is less opportunity for the bottomconveyors to introduce oxygen into the oil to oxidize it. This reducesthe rate at which the oil becomes oxidized, as well the rate at whichoxidized oil must be replaced with fresh oil. This is beneficial becauseoil oxidation causes the cooking oil 152 to go rancid, which in turndecreases the freshness of the product. Reducing oil oxidation thereforereduces costs expended to keep both the oil 152 and the product fresh.

Because the form fryer 100 with the reduced volume segment 151 dispenseswith the need for a bottom conveyor through a portion of the fryer, lessconveyor material is needed to bring pre-forms into the fryer. Thismeans that less energy is therefore required to cool the bottom conveyormaterial before it receives pre-forms for transportation into the fryer.Having less bottom conveyor material also reduces the amount ofnecessary support machinery, such as rollers, supports, and driveshafts, which in turn reduces the likelihood of mechanical jams andmalfunctions. Thus, the form fryer 100 with the reduced volume segment151 can increase productivity both by reducing heating and coolingcosts, as well as reducing the occurrence of mechanical malfunctions.

In the preferred embodiment, the oil pan 150 itself serves as aheat-exchanging surface through which heat may be transferred to theoil. To increase the heat-exchanging surface area, the oil pan 150 canbe contoured or fluted. For example, the oil pan 150 may comprise awaved, rippled, or finned pan. Oil 152 thus flows in and above channelsthat run down the length of the oil pan 150. Such contoured or flutedoil pans provide a higher surface-area-per-volume ratio, allowing one tomore efficiently replenish the heat dissipated and absorbed by cookingproduct as the oil travels along the fryer.

In order to keep the oil 152 in the fryer at the proper fryingtemperature, heated fluid may be provided to flow under and in contactwith the oil pan 150. Other methods of heating the oil pan 150 areacceptable, such as using electrical heating elements under the oil pan,or using a radiative heat source to provide heat.

At the end of the reduced volume segment 151, snack pieces pass throughthe fryer oil pan exit 160. The fryer oil pan 150 at the exit 160 has anenlarged depth similar to the segment at the oil pan entrance area 158,but the depths of the entrance and exit sections are not necessarilyidentical. In the exit area, the bottom exit conveyor 140 approaches andparallels the top conveyor 120 after passing a submerged roller 142.

The bottom exit conveyor 140 is supported and rotated through a pathway,defined by several rollers 142, 144, 146, 148, which demonstrates one ofmany possible fryer exit conveyor pathways. Like the bottom entranceconveyor 130, the bottom exit conveyor 140 is constructed of anyfood-grade, flexible and durable materials that can withstand fryerprocessing conditions, such as metal, various plastics, or ceramics. Thebottom exit conveyor 140 should also comprise an oil-pervious structureso that oil can pass through the conveyor.

A submerged roller 142 is situated before and below the point where thetop conveyor 120 and the bottom exit conveyor 140 parallel each other inclose proximity in order to allow the bottom exit conveyor 140 to gentlyapproach the now cooked snack pieces. As the top and bottom conveyors120, 140, with the cooked snack pieces encased between, exit the cookingoil 152, the upward forces of the cooking oil 152 no longer support thesnack pieces against the top conveyor 120. The snack pieces are thendirected into contact with a receiving segment of the bottom exitconveyor 140. If needed, steam or inert gas may be blown through or atthe molds to assist the cooked snack pieces in their departure from moldsurfaces. The bottom exit conveyor 140 should run parallel to the topconveyor 120 for some distance after it exits the oil 152 so that theproduct falls into its proper position when it finally dislodges. Afterpassing over an exit-side roller 146, the cooked snack pieces are passedon for seasoning and packaging. After passing over the exit-side roller146, the bottom exit conveyor 140 is directed back into the oil 152 toreceive more snack pieces. This returning segment of the bottom exitconveyor is called the pre-receiving segment.

Note that FIG. 2 shows how the bottom exit conveyor transitions from aninclined path out of the fryer to a horizontal path before sendingproduct to the next conveyor. At high conveying speeds, it is importantfor this transition to be as smooth and gradual as possible in order toprevent the product from losing contact with bottom exit conveyor 140.While FIG. 2 shows only one roller 144 in the transition between theinclined and horizontal sections, additional rollers may be used to makethe change as gradual as possible.

Because the bottom entrance and exit conveyors 130, 140 operateindependently from one another, each conveyor can be specificallydesigned for their respective product shapes. While the entranceconveyor 130, for example, might have a flat surface or a plurality offlat platforms for receiving flat pre-forms, the exit conveyor 140 mightinstead have curved saddles for receiving curved, cooked product. Inaddition, the bottom conveyors 130, 140 can be made from differentmaterials and have different structures to suit their respectivefunctions.

Another advantage of having separate entrance and exit conveyors 130,140 is the ability to operate each one at a different speed. The bottomentrance conveyor 130 has a delivering velocity V_(delivering), the oil152 has an oil velocity V_(oil), the top conveyor 120 has a top conveyorvelocity V_(top conveyor), the bottom exit conveyor 140 has a removingvelocity V_(removing), and the velocities of all four mediums may sharethe following relationship:V_(delivering)≦V_(oil)≦V_(top conveyor)≦V_(removing).In the preferred embodiment, the velocity of the exit conveyor 140 iseither equal to or slightly greater than the velocity of the topconveyor 120, which is slightly greater than the velocity of the oil152, which in turn is slightly greater than the velocity of the entranceconveyor 130. By operating each successive conveyor at a transportingvelocity slightly greater than that of the preceding conveyor, morepositive control can be maintained over the product, particularly at theinlet. Each successive medium in effect pulls the product along and awayfrom the preceding medium.

However, if the cooked product tends to temporarily adhere to molds ofthe top conveyor 120 after exiting the oil 152, it is desirable to runthe bottom exit conveyor 140 and top conveyor 120 at the same speed.This ensures that the product pieces fall into their proper places uponthe bottom exit conveyor 140 after they finally dislodge from the topconveyor 120.

FIGS. 3-8 show several alternative embodiments in accordance with thepresent invention for fryer entrance area 202 and exit area 204. Thefryer entrance area 202 in these figures comprises the same features andis of similar design and construction as described above for the fryerentrance area 102 in FIG. 2. Now referring to FIGS. 3-8 simultaneously,the fryer housing 212 is shown with the top conveyor 220 supported bytwo rollers 222, 224. A bottom entrance conveyor 230, having a feedingsegment and a post-feeding segment, is supported by at least two ofseveral rollers 232, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238. A fryer oil pan 250contains hot oil 252. An area sufficient to contain an oil inlet 254 andat least one roller to support the bottom entrance conveyor 230 is shownwithin the oil pan entrance area 258.

In cooking, pre-forms are deposited onto the feeding segment of thebottom entrance conveyor 230 prior to entry into the fryer housing 212.As the pre-forms are conveyed into the oil, frying starts at a cookingstart point 226. Thereafter, the snack pieces first begin to separatefrom the surface of the bottom entrance conveyor 230. Next, the portionof each piece that has separated from the bottom entrance conveyor 230temporarily remains at the surface of the oil 252 before contacting thetop conveyor 220. A submerged roller 234 in the oil pan entrance area258 directs the post-feeding segment of the bottom entrance conveyor 230back to collect new pre-forms for frying. The snack pieces, at thelatest upon reaching the submerged roller 234, are disposed against thesurfaces of the molds on the top conveyor 220. The snack pieces inposition against the top conveyor 220 are then carried into a reducedvolume segment 251 for completion of the cooking process. This reducedvolume segment 251, shown in FIGS. 3-8, has the same characteristics andadvantages as the reduced volume segment 151 of FIG. 2. These advantagesinclude, but are not limited to, a reduction in oil heating, pumping,maintenance and replacement costs, a reduction in oil oxidation, areduction in bottom conveyor cooling costs, and increased productivitydue to a lower likelihood of mechanical failure.

In FIG. 3, a bottom entrance conveyor 230 is shown completely within anelongated section of an oil pan entrance area 258. This elongatedsection allows the conveyor to be completely within the fryer housing212, which does not allow for cooling outside of the fryer housing 212.This reduces heat loss, reduces oil oxidation, and simplifies the pathfor the bottom entrance conveyor 230. However, depending on theapplication and materials involved, such arrangement may impartexcessive heat to the pre-forms.

FIG. 4 shows a bottom entrance conveyor 230 following a pathway that hasa substantial portion external to the fryer housing 212. As the bottomentrance conveyor 230 expands from exposure to the hot cooking oil andstretching, one or more of the rollers may be provided with the abilityto move so that the conveyor can remain taut. For example, the lower,external, input-side roller 237 can move toward or away from the upper,external, input-side roller 238 to loosen or tighten the bottom entranceconveyor 230 as desired. This embodiment allows for significant coolingof the bottom conveyor 230.

Rotation may be provided from a roller positioned outside of the fryerhousing 212 as shown in FIG. 5. This is advantageous, as the drivemechanism would not need to be outfitted to operate with a drive-shaftsubmerged in the hot oil 252. Simplifying the mechanisms within the hotoil 252 and the fryer housing 212 is beneficial because the size of theoil pan entrance area 258, and thus the volume of oil contained within,can be reduced. Further, a smaller portion of the equipment is exposedto heat and oil at any given time, thus reducing maintenance andcleaning intervals.

FIG. 6 shows an additional pathway for the bottom entrance conveyor 230.In FIG. 6, the bottom entrance conveyor 230 is lead out of the hot oil252 by two rollers 235, 236 near the fryer entrance, but the bottomentrance conveyor 230 still remains within the fryer housing 212. Thisarrangement gives the bottom entrance conveyor 230 an opportunity tocool before receiving pre-forms without exposing the conveyor to theenvironment outside the fryer. FIG. 6 also shows, as does FIG. 4, an oilinlet 254 positioned between the feeding and post-feeding segments ofthe bottom entrance conveyor 230. With the oil inlet 254 so positioned,the oil passes through only the feeding segment of the bottom entranceconveyor 230 rather than both the feeding and post-feeding segments asit flows from the oil inlet 254 to the reduced volume segment 251. Asthere is one less layer of conveyor to hinder fluid flowing from theinlet 251 towards the exit of the fryer, less pressure is thereforeneeded to pump the oil 252 through the fryer at the desired flow rate.

In FIG. 7, another embodiment of a fryer entrance area 202 is shown withseveral pre-forms 216 disposed on the feeding segment of a bottomentrance conveyor 230. As pre-forms 216 are directed along towards theoil 252, molds on the surface of the top conveyor 220 are disposeddirectly above. As pre-forms 216 enter the oil 252 at a cooking startpoint 226, they are pushed downwards into the oil by the declining topconveyor 220 and wrap against the surface of the molds. After asubmerged roller 234 redirects the bottom entrance conveyor 230 out ofthe oil 252 to receive more pre-forms, the cooking snack pieces 218 areconveyed along with the top conveyor 220 toward and through a reducedvolume segment 251 having no bottom conveyor disposed beneath. Asmentioned in the description of FIG. 2, oil 252 flows along with theproduct in order to minimize product disturbance.

FIG. 8 shows a plurality of cooking snack pieces 218 within the fryerexit area 204. The fryer exit area 204 of FIG. 8 comprises the samefeatures and is of similar design and construction as described abovefor the fryer exit area 104 in FIG. 2. At the end of the reduced volumesegment 251, the snack pieces 218 are conveyed over a section of the oilpan 250 containing a bottom exit conveyor 240. The bottom exit conveyor240 is provided at an inclined angle that provides for a submergedroller 242 to be disposed sufficiently beneath the top conveyor 220.Thereby, the cooking snack pieces 218, which are still positionedagainst the mold surfaces of the top conveyor 220, will be disposedbetween the top conveyor 220 and the bottom exit conveyor 240 as thebottom exit conveyor 240 rises and rotates away from the submergedroller 242. Once free from contact with the oil 252, fully cooked snackpieces 219 either freely separate from the molds of the top conveyor 220or may be dislodged with the use of steam or inert gas jets. Thereafter,the fully cooked snack pieces 219 are conveyed for seasoning andpackaging.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a plurality of molds 325 disposed upon a topconveyor 320. FIG. 9 shows a cross sectional transverse view of thesemolds upon a top conveyor 320. Upward forces from the cooking oil 352support the cooking snack pieces 318 in position against the surfaces ofa plurality of molds 325. These molds 325 are retained by a plurality ofsupports 327 to the top conveyor 320. The top conveyor 320 and molds 325may comprise an oil-pervious, chain-link structure of a durable materialsuch as stainless steel or another type of metal, a ceramic, or apolymer-based material capable of withstanding exposure to hot oil.Alternatively, the top conveyor 320 may also comprise any food-grade,perforated, durable, but flexible material able to withstand frying oiltemperatures. Further, each mold 325 is formed with a plurality of holesor channels to allow steam and other gases to rise and pass through orby to escape from the cooking oil 352. This is provided to remove gasesreleased from cooking which would otherwise collect and dislodge snackpieces. FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the molds 325 of FIG. 9.Here, a plurality of holes 329 is shown. In the preferred embodiment,these holes are drilled along axes normal to the top conveyor 320 ratherthan axes normal to the surface of the molds 325. Drilling holes in thismanner helps prevent product from undesirably sticking to the moldsurfaces when portions of pre-form material rise into the holes 329.FIG. 10 also shows transverse mold segments 326 hinged together in achain-like manner. This allows the top conveyor 320 to have firm convexsurfaces for molding food pieces while also being able to follow arcuatepaths around rollers. Further, the molds 325 are arranged to formuniformly shaped snack pieces that may be stacked into a canister typecontainer.

A plurality of fully cooked snack pieces 319 is shown in FIG. 11. Thesnack pieces 319 are conveyed on an exit conveyor 340 as they aredirected on to seasoning and packaging. As the snack pieces 319 wereformed from convex molds 325, the snack pieces 319 are concavely shapedwith their concave sides up. As shown, the shape comprises an ellipsewherein the longitudinal edges of each cooked snack piece 319 are curvedupward from the surface of the exit conveyor 340. While a generallyelliptical shape is shown, other shapes are possible such as squares,circles, or triangles depending on the shape of the pre-forms.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show an alternative arrangement of molds as compared tothe molds of FIGS. 9 and 10. In FIG. 12, a cross sectional transverseview of a top conveyor 420 having a plurality of molds 425 is shownwherein the molds 425 are concave relative to a plurality of snackpieces 418. Aside from the shape, the concave molds 425 in FIG. 12 areof similar construction as the convex molds 325 in FIG. 11. The concavemolds 425 in FIG. 12 are held to the top conveyor 420 with a pluralityof supports 427. With this design, the cooking snack pieces 418 form aconvex shape with the convex side down. Like FIG. 10, FIG. 13 shows aplurality of transverse mold segments 426 hinged together in achain-like manner. This allows the top conveyor 420 to have firm concavesurfaces, concave relative to the cooking product, on a plurality ofindividual molds 425 for molding food pieces while also being able tofollow arcuate paths around rollers. The molds 425 are attached to thetop conveyor 420 by a plurality of supports 427 and have a plurality ofholes 429 with the same properties as the holes described in FIG. 10.

The convex shapes of a plurality of fully cooked snack pieces 419 areshown in FIG. 14 as they are conveyed upon an exit conveyor 440. Thesesnack pieces 419 are uniformly shaped so that they may be stacked. Oncestacked, the snack pieces are ready for packaging. Because the snackpieces 419 are formed with a convex shape, there is no need to flip thesnack pieces prior to stacking and packaging. This provides economicsavings as a flipping device is not required. As shown, the shapecomprises an ellipse wherein the longitudinal edges of each cooked snackpiece 419 are curved downward toward the surface of the exit conveyor440. While a generally elliptical shape is shown, other shapes arepossible such as squares, circles, or triangles depending on the shapeof the pre-forms.

While FIGS. 9-14 illustrate the use of uniformly shaped molds forproducing stackable, uniformly shaped product pieces, many differentmold shapes can be used, and even combined with one another, if randomlyshaped, non-stackable end products are instead desired. For example, thecross-sectional views of alternative molds might resemble varioussegments of a sinusoidal curve.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show an entrance section 502 and an exit section 504 ofa fryer utilizing several oil pan extensions 560, 562, 564, 566, 568 toisolate the cooking product from fluctuations in oil velocity due tochanges in the cross-sectional area of the fryer's oil pan 550. Thecross-sectional area of the oil pan 550 changes because, although thewidth remains constant, the depth varies. In FIG. 15, the oil panentrance area 550 must be deep enough to accommodate the bottom entranceconveyor 530, whereas the reduced volume segment 551 does not have toaccommodate the bottom entrance conveyor 530. Likewise, in FIG. 16, thedepth of the oil pan 550 after the reduced volume segment 551 mustincrease to accommodate the bottom exit conveyor 540.

When the volumetric oil flow rate is fixed, the oil velocity isinversely proportional to the cross-sectional area through which the oilflows. In FIG. 3, for example, oil 252 flowing from an oil inlet 254 toa reduced volume segment 251 encounters a reduction in cross-sectionalarea as it enters the reduced volume segment 251. This reduction incross-sectional area causes the velocity of the oil 252 to increase inthe reduced volume segment 251. Consequently, there is a difference inthe oil velocity over different areas of the oil pan 250 while thevelocity of the top conveyor 220 remains constant. These velocityfluctuations can undesirably disturb the product and even prematurelydislodge the product from the molds of the top conveyor 220. In thepreferred embodiment, the oil 252 flows with an oil velocity equal to orslightly less than the velocity of the top conveyor 220. As noted in thediscussion of FIG. 2, the oil velocity can be designed to be slightlyless than the top conveyor velocity and slightly greater than theentrance conveyor velocity in order to effect a positive transfer.

Without the use of pan extensions, the product must pass through threedifferent oil velocity zones: a slow oil pan entrance area, a quickreduced volume segment, and a slow oil pan exit area. However, returningto FIGS. 15 and 16, a plurality of pan extensions 560, 562, 564, 566,568 can be used to prevent oil velocity fluctuations around the product.For example, in FIG. 15, a first input-side pan extension 560 can bepositioned within the oil pan, in the oil, and between the feeding andpost-feeding segments of the bottom entrance conveyor. A secondinput-side pan extension 562 can similarly be positioned between thebottom entrance conveyor 530 and the reduced volume segment 551. In FIG.16, a first output-side extension can be placed within the oil pan 550,in the oil 552, and between the reduced volume segment 551 and thereceiving segment of the bottom exit conveyor 540. A second output-sideextension can be placed between the receiving and pre-receiving segmentsof the bottom exit conveyor 540. Likewise, a third output-side extensioncan be placed between the pre-receiving segment of the bottom exitconveyor 540 and the downstream end of the oil pan 550.

With the pan extensions of FIGS. 15 and 16, the reduced-volume-segmentvelocity zone is effectively extended to begin before the product entersthe oil and end after the product leaves the oil. Because all of the panextensions are essentially level in the horizontal plane with the bottomof the reduced volume segment 551 of the oil pan 550, thecross-sectional area of the oil pathway remains constant. The oilvelocity therefore remains constant as it flows from an oil inlet 554,over the various pan extensions, and through the reduced volume segment551. The upstream pan extension 560 in FIG. 15 should extend somedistance before the point where product enters the oil in order to givethe oil time to adjust to the decrease in cross-sectional area.Likewise, the furthest downstream pan extension 568 in FIG. 16 shouldextend some distance beyond the point where cooked product exits the oilin order to isolate the product from any disturbance due to the increasein cross-sectional area at the end of the furthest downstream panextension 568. Note, however, that the vertical positions of the variouspan extensions can be altered slightly to compensate for changes in thevolume of oil that passes over the pan extensions and through thereduced volume segment 551. For example, the vertical level of each pancan increase slightly from one to the next to compensate for theabsorption of oil by the product.

In FIG. 15, the downstream edge of upstream oil pan extension 560, aswell as the upstream edge of the downstream oil pan extension 562,should extend as close as possible to the bottom entrance conveyor 530.This ensures that the velocity zone above the oil pan extensions 560,562 is separated as much as possible from the velocity zone below thosepan extensions. Similarly, in FIG. 16, the upstream, midstream, anddownstream pan extensions 564, 566, 568 should extend as close aspossible to the bottom exit conveyor 540 in order to keep separate theoil velocity zones above and below those pan extensions.

Referring back to FIG. 15, the cross-sectional area of the oil pathwayover the upstream oil pan extension 560 temporarily and slightlydecreases as oil 552 passes through the bottom entrance conveyor 530.The oil 552 thus temporarily increases in velocity while it passesthrough the bottom entrance conveyor 530. Whereas an oil velocitydisturbance further downstream would be undesirable once the pre-formsbegin to cook against the top conveyor 520, this particular oil velocityincrease is desirable. The slight increase in oil velocity helps thepre-forms dislodge from the bottom entrance conveyor 530 so that theycan meet with the molds of top conveyor 520.

While FIG. 15 shows the use of pan extensions with one particular bottomentrance conveyor pathway as defined by a bottom entrance conveyor 530and a plurality of rollers 532, 534, 536, 537, 538, other pathways maybe used including, but not limited to, the pathways shown in FIGS. 3-7.Likewise, embodiments of fryer exit areas utilizing pan extensions arenot limited to the specific arrangement of elements shown in FIG. 16.For example, FIG. 16 depicts one particular arrangement of elements inan exit area 504 wherein oil flows through the reduced volume section551, over the furthest downstream pan extension 568, and down into aseparate oil collection area 570 before exiting at an oil outlet 556. Avalve 580 between the oil collection area and the body of oil under theexit-area pan extensions 564, 566, 568 can be modulated so that only asmall fraction of the oil passing over those pan extensions passesbetween the pans, into a fairly stagnant area 557 containing a submergedroller 524 for the bottom exit conveyor 540, and through the valve 580.Alternatively, the oil 552 does not have to flow into a separatecollection area 570. The oil might instead flow over and past thefurthest downstream pan extension 568 to join with the rest of the oil552 contained within the oil pan 550 and under the exit-area panextensions 564, 566, 568.

FIGS. 17 a and 17 b illustrate the transition point between twoconveyors 640, 645. They also show how a plurality of cooked productpieces 619 are conveyed smoothly from a bottom exit conveyor 645 to anintermediate transport conveyor 640 after the product pieces are removedfrom the fryer. FIG. 17 a is a perspective view of only one lane of twosuccessive, multi-lane, interlaced conveyors 640, 645, with each lane ofone conveyor passing over the guiding roller 641, 642 of the other. FIG.17 b is a cross-sectional view of several lanes of two successive,multi-lane, interlaced conveyors. Now referring to FIGS. 17 a and 17 bsimultaneously, by interlacing the discretely spaced lanes of twosuccessive conveyors 640, 645, the product pieces 619 are under thepositive control of at least one conveyor at all times. Suppose, forexample, that product is transferred from the bottom exit conveyor 645to the intermediate transport conveyor 640 in FIG. 17 a. While on theexit conveyor 645, each piece is carried by seats 643, which supporteach product piece at its midsection. Once the product 619 reaches theinterlaced portion of the conveyors 640, 645, each product piece issimultaneously supported at its midsection by seats 643, disposed uponconveyor 645, and near its edges by supporting panels 644, disposed uponconveyor 640. As product 619 continues past the interlaced portion ofthe conveyors 640, 645, the product pieces are no longer supported byseats 643 but are instead supported near its edges by supporting panels644 upon the intermediate transport conveyor 640. Product can betransferred smoothly from conveyor to conveyor in this manner, withproduct support areas alternating between product midsections andproduct edges. Alternatively, product can be transferred in the oppositedirection, from the product-edge-supporting conveyor to theproduct-midsection-supporting conveyor. In addition, the bottom exitconveyor can be designed to carry product out of the fryer by supportingthe product near its edges rather than at its midsection. In such acase, the product can then be transferred to an intermediate conveyorthat supports the product at its midsection.

With the use of form fryer assemblies made in accordance with theinvention, equipment, heating, maintenance, oil, and other expenses arereduced because of the reduced volume of the fryer oil pan. Byeliminating a continuous bottom conveyor within the fryer, a reducedfryer oil pan volume is possible and will not affect the quality of thesnack pieces produced. Less supports and enclosures are needed in thefryer oil of the present invention as compared to prior art continuousconveyors as the bottom conveyors are not continuously runningthroughout the length of the fryer oil pan. With less equipment runningthrough the fryer, oil oxidation can be reduced. In addition,productivity increases as there is less equipment that could potentiallybreakdown.

By eliminating a continuous bottom conveyor throughout the fryer andreplacing it with separate bottom entrance and bottom exit conveyors,the frying process benefits from the ability to tailor each bottomconveyor to the differing pre- and post-cooking conditions. The bottomentrance and bottom exit conveyors can have differing shapes, comprisedifferent materials, and rotate with differing speeds depending on whatis appropriate for their functions, locations, and operating conditions.For example, in one embodiment of the fryer, the bottom entranceconveyor comprises a flat, perforated, polymeric sheet for receivingflat pre-forms, whereas the bottom exit conveyor comprises several lanesof chains with curved seats for receiving curved, cooked product.

A prior art approach to maintaining oil quality in reducing oxidationapplied to the fryer described above would involve the addition of steaminto a partially enclosed environment in order to purge the oil-gasinterface of excess oxygen. As previously described, fabricated potatochips typically do not produce sufficient steam in a form fryer for thispurpose, thus requiring the addition of steam. However, in either case,excess steam can accumulate on product introduced into the frying oil,which can lead to adverse consequences. In addition, in a high speedform frying process, the raw chips must be introduced into the fryer ona conveyor traveling at high velocity. The high speed conveyor andproduct can convey entrained air into the fryer front end increasing thelevel of oxygen in the fryer environment and increasing oil oxidation.

While the level of product defects is affected by many factors such asdough moisture content, lecithin content, and oil-flow turbulence, theinventors have discovered that steam condensation upon dough pieces atthe fryer entrance (fryer front end) can also significantly affect thelevel of product defects. For example, product that accumulates excesssteam upon entering the frying oil can experience problems remainingcentered against molds or can fry in undesirable shapes with undesirablecharacteristics. An increase in steam levels in the frying atmospherecauses an increase in product defects but also decreases the rate ofoxidation of the frying oil. The opposite happens with a decrease insteam levels. Therefore, the manipulation of steam levels alone requiresa trade-off between oxygen values (or concentrations) and defect rates.Consequently, a need exists for an apparatus and method forsimultaneously decreasing oxygen values and product defect rates ratherthan decreasing one at the expense of the other or discarding fryingoil.

After frying, some prior art systems have also used nitrogen gas to keepoxygen away from finished product as it cools and is packaged. However,no prior art systems have combined the use of sparge steam and nitrogengas within a fryer as disclosed herein to simultaneously reduce oildegradation rates and product defect rates.

Consequently, a need exists for an improved apparatus, as well as amethod for designing and optimizing such an apparatus, for controllingthe atmospheric conditions of a fryer, particularly when using a formfryer the same or similar to that described immediately above. Ideally,such improvements should purge oxygen from the frying environment whilealso reducing steam-related product defects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A form fryer in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention typically has a top conveyor to produce cooked snack piecessuch as fabricated potato crisps with a desired shape. The top conveyoris disposed longitudinally within the fryer and is positioned above afryer oil pan. Uncooked snack pieces are delivered by a bottom entranceconveyor into oil within the fryer oil pan for cooking. After deliveringthe uncooked snack pieces, the bottom entrance conveyor is configured torotate away from the fryer oil pan after delivering the uncooked snackpieces. The snack pieces then rise up in the oil and dispose themselvesagainst molding surfaces on the top conveyor. Note, however, that thefryer housing apparatus and optimization method of the present inventioncan also be used with other fryers, including prior art fryers.

In reference to a form fryer in a preferred embodiment, the presentinvention utilizes sparge steam in the main portion of the fryer andnitrogen gas introduced from precisely-placed points in or near asteam-shielded front end portion of the fryer housing. This combinationof a steam shield and precisely placed nitrogen injection points can bemanipulated in order to dramatically reduce the potential forsteam/water deposit on the product as it enters the fryer. This methodcan also be designed to simultaneously reduce the amount of outside airentering the front of the fryer hood resulting in a significantreduction of oil oxidation/degradation. Thus, the invention provides away to achieve simultaneous reduction in fried product defects and oiloxidation/degradation.

The above as well as additional features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent in the following written detaileddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed incolor. Copies of this patent or patent application publication withcolor drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and paymentof the necessary fee.

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof,will be best understood by reference to the following detaileddescription of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of a prior art form fryerwith continuous top and bottom conveyors;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross sectional view of a form fryer in accordancewith the fryer disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,993;

FIGS. 3-6 are schematic cross sectional views of form fryer entrancesections in accordance with the fryer disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/347,993 showing various configurations of bottomentrance conveyors;

FIG. 7 is a partial schematic cross sectional view of an additionalembodiment of a form fryer entrance section in accordance with FIGS. 3-6showing snack pieces being fed into the fryer oil;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross sectional view of a form fryer exit sectionin accordance with the fryer disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/347,993 that can be utilized with the fryer entrance sections ofFIGS. 3-7 showing snack pieces being collected from the fryer oil;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross sectional view of convexly shaped moldsdisposed on a top conveyor of a form fryer in accordance with the fryerdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,993;

FIG. 10 is a partial top perspective view of molds disposed on the topconveyor of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a partial top perspective view of concavely shaped snackpieces being conveyed on a bottom exit conveyor formed by the molds ofFIGS. 9 and 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial cross sectional view of concavely shaped moldsdisposed on a top conveyor of a form fryer in accordance with the fryerdisclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,993;

FIG. 13 is a partial top perspective view of molds disposed on the topconveyor of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial top perspective view of convexly shaped snackpieces being conveyed on a bottom exit conveyor formed by the molds ofFIGS. 12 and 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross sectional view of a form fryer entrancesection in accordance with the fryer disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/347,993 showing oil pan extensions;

FIG. 16 is schematic cross sectional view of form fryer exit section inaccordance with the fryer disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/347,993 showing oil pan extensions;

FIG. 17 a is a top perspective view of concavely shaped snack piecesbeing conveyed along a pair of interlaced conveyors in accordance withthe fryer disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,993;

FIG. 17 b is a front sectional view of the snack pieces and interlacedconveyors of FIG. 17 a;

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the front end of a fryerhaving a steam shield and nitrogen injection points of a preferredembodiment of the invention disclosed;

FIG. 19 shows a nitrogen particle trace in a schematic cross-sectionalview of the fryer front end in a baseline case;

FIG. 20 shows a steam particle trace in a schematic cross-sectional viewof the fryer front end in a baseline case;

FIG. 21 shows an oxygen particle trace in a schematic cross-sectionalview of the fryer front end in a baseline case;

FIG. 22 is a comparison of Case 8 (no steam shield) versus Case 9 (steamshield in place) concentration gradients of nitrogen, oxygen, and steamin a fryer front end;

FIG. 23 is a comparison of Case 5 (high nitrogen, low steam) versus Case9 (medium nitrogen, medium steam) concentration gradients of nitrogen,oxygen, and steam in a fryer front end;

FIG. 24 is a comparison of Case 1 (modified vestibule design) versusCase 9 (initial vestibule design) concentration gradients of nitrogen,oxygen, and steam in a fryer front end;

FIG. 25 shows nitrogen concentration gradients in a schematiccross-sectional view of a fryer front end having a vestibule and fournitrogen ports;

FIG. 26 shows oxygen concentration gradients in the fryer front endshown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 shows steam concentration gradients in the fryer front end shownin FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 shows a steam particle trace in a schematic cross-sectional viewof the fryer front end shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 29 shows steam concentration gradients in a nine-slide progressionover time of an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the steamshield gap area shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 30 is a graph of frying oil degradation (y-axis/vertical-axis)versus time (x-axis/horizontal-axis in days) in a fryer without thevestibule improvements of the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a graph of frying oil degradation (y-axis/vertical-axis)versus time (x-axis/horizontal-axis in days) in a fryer having afront-end vestibule in accordance with a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 32 is a cube plot of oxygen levels and defect data after operatingat high flow sparge steam and various flow rates of the nitrogen gasfrom the upper, lower, and steam-side ports near the steam-shield gap ina preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 33 is a cube plot of oxygen levels and defect data after operatingat medium flow sparge steam and various flow rates of the nitrogen gasfrom the upper, lower, and steam-side ports near the steam-shield gap ina preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Apparatus

As explained above in the Background section, sparge steam is oftenintroduced into an enclosed area above a fryer to displace oxygen, whichundesirably oxidizes or degrades cooking oil. As used herein, spargesteam and steam are interchangeable and can include any inert gas. Asused herein, an inert gas is defined as any gas that does not react withthe product or the frying medium. Use of an inert gas such as spargesteam is particularly useful where the frying product does not produceenough steam to displace the air in the fryer. In addition to usingsparge steam, losses due to oxidation/degradation of the oil can also bereduced by modifying the fryer itself. For example, when manufacturingmolded, fried products, a prior art double-mold form fryer (two moldingsurfaces—top and bottom—for each product piece) can be replaced with asingle-mold form fryer (one molding surface for each product piece) suchas the single-mold form fryer disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/347,993. Reducing the number of mold surfaces helps reduce theamount of entrained oxygen drawn into the fryer along the mold conveyor.Such a form fryer also uses less frying oil, which must be replaced withfresh oil over time. Note that while the apparatus and optimizationmethod of the present invention are discussed herein with respect to asingle-mold form fryer, the apparatus and optimization method of thepresent invention are also of benefit to other fryers including, but notlimited to: prior art form fryers, traditional deep fryers, andsurface-floating fryers.

However, one undesirable consequence of using sparge steam is that steammay condense onto the lower-temperature dough pieces entering the fryer.Exposure to steam in the product-entry zone is known to cause severalproduct defects, such as wrinkles, and other shape and/or surfacedeformities. In addition to affecting product quality, these defects canaffect the product bulk density and interfere with the product's abilityto stack and to be packaged efficiently should that be desired.

The inventors have discovered that one solution to this problem is toplace a steam shield at or near the entrance of the fryer. As usedherein, a steam shield is a physical boundary which extends the width ofthe fryer housing and from a point close to the surface of the oil inthe pan to a point above the entering product at the entry to the fryer.The purpose of this steam shield is to create a protected vestibule areaat the front product entry portion of the fryer to enable the creationof a separate and different atmosphere from that on the outside of thevestibule. Any structure that achieves this purpose can be used,including a series of baffles. Such a steam shield helps prevent steamfrom contacting the entering dough pieces. While this reduces theoccurrence of condensate-related defects, small amounts of steam canstill enter the fryer through gaps in the steam shield, and the conveyorbelt (or belts) and product pieces entering the fryer can also pulloxygen from the ambient air into the fryer. Because the steam shieldkeeps sparge or product steam away from the entrance of the fryer, thereis a need for a different mechanism for displacing oxygen at the fryerentrance.

The inventors have discovered a solution to this displacement problem.In addition to a steam shield at or near the entrance of the fryer, thefryer front end can also comprise a vestibule enclosing, as much aspossible, the entrance of the fryer up to the steam shield. An inert gasmanifold having at least one nozzle or port can be positioned withinthis vestibule to fill and continuously replenish the vestibule with anon-condensing inert gas, thereby displacing both oxygen and steam. Asused herein, a non-condensing inert gas is any gas that will notcondense on product entering the frying medium nor will it react withthe product or frying medium under process conditions. Thenon-condensing inert gas can comprise, but is not limited to, nitrogen,argon, carbon dioxide, and helium. In one embodiment, the manifoldproduces a relatively uniform flow of a non-condensing inert gas acrossa vestibule opening. In one embodiment, the uniform flow ofnon-condensing inert gas is produced by a plurality of nozzles. In analternative embodiment, the uniform flow of non-condensing inert gas isproduced by a continuous slit in the manifold. The above are provided asexamples of ways to satisfy the objective of flushing the vestibuleopening with a non-condensing inert gas to prevent a condensing inertgas such as steam from entering the vestibule. This solution allowsoperators of the fryer to break free from the balancing problem betweenoxygen displacement (using sparge steam) and product defects (due tocondensation). An extended hood can also be placed in front of the fryerentrance to further protect the fryer entrance from the ambient air.Such an extended hood may or may not have an inert-gas manifold.

The inventors further discovered, however, that simply filling thevestibule (and extended hood, if present) with a non-condensing inertgas may not be enough. The precise place of introduction and directionof non-condensing inert gas flow substantially affects the system'sability to prevent oxygen from entering the fryer hood, as well as itsability to prevent sparge steam from passing through gaps in the steamshield and from being pumped in by the moving mold conveyor into thefryer front-end vestibule. In a preferred embodiment, the front end ofthe fryer housing has a steam shield that separates the front portionsof the fryer housing from the rest of the enclosed fryer volume. Thesteam shield has an opening through which the mold conveyor can pass.While ideally the conveyor opening can be just large enough for theconveyor to pass, the opening can also be slightly larger than theconveyor for safety reasons. The steam shield within an industrial-sizedfryer preferably comprises a vestibule opening having a gap of less than1-inch, more preferably less than about ½ inch and most preferably about¼-inch around the conveyor so that the conveyor will not contact thesteam shield. In one embodiment, the steam shield is configured suchthat the gap between the mold conveyor and the steam shield is uniform.Several nozzles for introducing non-condensable inert gas can bepositioned at, and angled in, various positions. Some can be positionedto deter steam from being pumped into the protected product entryenvironment, while others can be positioned to prevent outside air fromentering the fryer along with the incoming product. This promotes a lowsteam and low oxygen front-end vestibule where dough pieces can enterthe frying oil without carrying excess surface condensate or oxygen intothe frying oil.

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the front end of a fryerin a preferred embodiment. The fryer has a steam header 1824 forintroducing sparge steam into the main portion of the fryer housing1806. A drip shield 1808 helps prevent condensate from dripping ontoproduct as it enters the fryer. An exhaust stack 1826 draws steam out ofthe fryer housing 1806 for recycling and reheating. According to themodifications of the present invention, the fryer also has a steamshield 1820 and several nitrogen injection manifolds 1812, 1830, 1840,1850. Stainless steel or any other food grade material can be used forthe front-end vestibule 1860 and steam shield 1820. In one embodiment,the fryer front end has nitrogen manifolds in at least three generallocations: 1) an injection manifold 1812 located underneath the moldconveyor 1814 (which is supported by a mold conveyor side support 1816and a mold conveyor support frame 1810) near the front and close to theproduct entry belt, with the injection manifold 1812 having a pluralityof nozzles along the width of the fryer with the non-condensing inertgas flowing down and slightly toward the front of the fryer (e.g. suchthat an inert gas port(s) direct non-condensable inert gas upstream anddownward so as to block the entry of undesired gases from the productentry point); 2) an injection manifold 1850 above and an injectionmanifold 1830 below the mold-conveyor gap 1822 on the non-condensinginert-gas-side/upstream-side of the steam shield 1820, with eachinjection manifold 1830 1850 having a plurality of nozzles along thewidth of the fryer with the non-condensing inert gas flowing toward themold-conveyor gap 1822 at specified angles relative to the shield andmold conveyor; and 3) an injection manifold 1840 near the mold-conveyorgap 1822 on the steam-side/downstream-side of the steam shield 1820,with the injection manifold 1840 having a plurality of nozzles along thewidth of the fryer with the gas flowing roughly across the gap 1822.This embodiment efficiently provides a curtain of non-condensing inertgas to prevent steam from entering the vestibule 1860. Note, however,that other embodiments can have fewer or greater numbers ofnon-condensing inert gas introduction points, depending on the desireddegree of oxygen and steam shielding. While the positions of gasmanifolds have been described with respect to a preferred embodiment,the positions and number of gas manifolds can also change depending onother factors including, but not limited to, the type of fryer used.

It should be noted that in alternative embodiments, the vestibuleopening 1822 can use a non-gaseous, mechanical seal to aid inmaintenance of a separate and different atmosphere within the vestibule1860. For example, in embodiment, a brush can be placed along a portionof the entire width of the vestibule opening 1822.

Several variables, including cost, can be optimized by using computationfluid dynamic (CFD) modeling to determine an efficient way in which toproduce a gaseous seal at the vestibule opening 1822 including, but notlimited to, ways of reducing the amount and therefore the cost ofnon-condensing inert gas required to effect a desired seal and/ordesired levels of oxygen and non-condensing gases in the vestibule 1860.For example, a higher pressure could simply be provided in the vestibule1860 by pumping sufficient quantities of non-condensing inert gas intothe vestibule at higher pressure to force flow from the vestibule 1860through the opening 1822 and thereby prevent condensing gases fromentering the vestibule 1860 from the opening 1822. Alternatively, theentire fryer hood could be filled with non-condensable inert gas.However, such options may be more expensive than desired and/or mayintroduce potential safety issues. Consequently, the design andoptimization method described below can be used to determine the optimallocation, number, and direction of non condensing inert gas manifolds inother embodiments.

Optimization Method

In a preferred embodiment, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelingis used to determine the optimal placement and positioning of the steamshield, baffles, and non-condensing inert-gas nozzles. From anefficiency standpoint, mere introduction of non-condensable inert gasinto a separate front-end vestibule is not enough. Placement andpositioning are also very important, as the inventors have found thatimproper placement can cause the front-end vestibule to fail in itspurpose of creating a sufficiently low oxygen and sufficiently lowcondensable gas or steam environment. As used herein, a sufficiently lowoxygen environment preferably has less than about 5% oxygen by weight,more preferably less than about 1% oxygen and most preferably less thanabout 0.5% oxygen. As used herein, a sufficiently low condensable gasenvironment comprises a gas that, under process conditions, ispreferably more than about 1 degree Fahrenheit above its dewpoint, morepreferably more than about 10 degrees Fahrenheit above its dewpoint andmost preferably more than about 20 degrees Fahrenheit above itsdewpoint. In some cases, improper placement of non condensable inert-gasnozzles can even worsen oil degradation.

The method for designing and optimizing the atmosphere control in acontinuous fryer having a steam-shielded front-end vestibule of thepresent invention comprises the following general steps:

-   -   a) begin with a continuous, enclosed fryer having a fryer hood        for controlling the atmosphere above the oil;    -   b) conduct measurements of the oxygen and steam concentrations        at the critical points in the environment, if possible, for        future comparison with predetermined environmental objectives        (i.e. below a certain oxygen level, or below a certain oil        degradation);    -   c) create a CFD model of the front end environment: include        desired environment properties such as temperatures, initial gas        concentrations, volumes, physical boundaries, flows, pressures,        moving boundaries, etc.;    -   d) conduct dynamic simulations of the process system: identify        resultant environment properties such as gas concentrations,        temperatures, pressures, and flows;    -   e) as a baseline for future comparison, measure or identify,        through CFD simulation, the effectiveness of the system in        reducing oxygen concentration, particularly at the oil surface,        as well as the effectiveness in reducing condensable gas or        dewpoint in the product entry area;    -   f) identify any areas of opportunity for further optimization of        the desired environmental objectives;    -   g) modify the fryer model by adding a steam shield to create a        separate front-end section (or “vestibule”), thereby        substantially enclosing the area around the product submerging        point; add the minimum number of non-condensable inert gas        manifolds, and nozzles (or other non-condensable gas        distribution methods) believed to be necessary to obtain the        stated objectives.    -   h) conduct designed experiments, parametric studies, with        variables that can affect the vestibule environment through CFD        simulation;    -   i) through simulation, measure the effectiveness of the modified        fryer system in reducing oxygen and steam in the vestibule        environment while minimizing the non-condensable inert gas        usage;    -   j) identify trouble spots in the fryer system, if any, where        oxygen concentrations and/or steam concentrations are at        undesirable levels or inert gas usage is not minimized;    -   k) modify the fryer model at the trouble spots by: changing the        flow rate of the gas feeds (inert gas and/or steam), changing        the direction of the gas feeds (inert gas and/or steam),        changing the steam shield position and/or design, changing the        stack dampers and/or fans to optimize steam removal from the        fryer environment, or modifying the number of inert-gas        manifolds; and    -   l) repeat steps i) through k)—i.e. measure effectiveness,        identify trouble spots, and modify the fryer model—until        acceptable concentrations of oxygen and steam are achieved at a        minimum inert gas usage level.        This process could also be done with a physical fryer model or        production fryer system as well, but would be much less        efficient.

FIGS. 19 through 24 are color concentration plots and/or particle tracesshowing the levels of nitrogen, oxygen, and steam, which were measuredin accordance with one embodiment of the optimization method enumeratedabove. In each one of the FIGS. 19 through 24, the concentration levelsare represented by color, where red (at the top of the color spectrum)represents relatively higher concentrations, and violet (at the bottomof the color spectrum) represents 0%. With respect to nitrogenconcentrations, the represented range is 100% to 0%, from red to violet.With respect to steam concentrations, the represented range is 100% to0%, from red to violet. With respect to oxygen concentrations, therepresented range is 5% to 0%, from red to violet.

In practicing a preferred embodiment of the method, the inventors beganwith a continuous, single-mold form fryer, such as the one discussedabove with respect to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/347,993, inaccordance with step a). In step b), oxygen and steam concentrations aremeasured throughout the fryer front end. In step c), this information isused in combination with other environment properties—such astemperatures, volumes, physical boundaries, flow rates, pressures, andmoving boundaries—to create a computation fluid dynamics (CFD) model ofthe front end environment. Then, in step d), dynamic simulations of theprocess system are conducted and compared to actual field test data tohone the system model. After repeated dynamic simulations, comparisonsto actual test data, and adjustments to the model, the CFD model is ableto predict the behavior (i.e. the resultant environment properties) ofthe fryer front end to an acceptable degree of accuracy. In step e), asa baseline for future comparison, the CFD model is used tomeasure/predict the effectiveness of the system in reducing oxygenconcentration—particularly at the oil surface, as well as theeffectiveness in reducing steam in the product entry area.

FIGS. 19 through 21 illustrate the results of steps f) through i) of themethod of the present invention. Note, however, that the apparatus andmethod of optimizing fryer atmosphere control also can be used withother fryer systems. Returning to the preferred embodiment, inparticular: FIG. 19 shows a nitrogen particle trace in a schematiccross-sectional view of the fryer front end in a baseline case; FIG. 20shows a steam particle trace in a schematic cross-sectional view of thefryer front end in a baseline case; and FIG. 21 shows an oxygen particletrace in a schematic cross-sectional view of the fryer front end in abaseline case. In accordance with steps f) and g) of the method, asingle nitrogen manifold was positioned under the mold conveyor and nearthe product submerging point (where the product meets the mold conveyorand is forced down into the frying oil). The nitrogen manifold is shownin FIGS. 19-21 and is akin to the one shown in FIG. 18. The nitrogenmanifold nozzles were initially directed at a downward angle downstreamtoward the product submerging point, as that was hypothesized to be themost advantageous arrangement. In accordance with step h) and i) of themethod, the particle traces and concentration levels of nitrogen,oxygen, and steam were measured to establish baseline data.

As can be seen in the figures, the nitrogen flow shown in FIG. 19 was atits highest concentration as it flowed at a downward angle out from thenitrogen manifold, as expected. Some of the nitrogen flowed into theextended hood and merely circulated around the top portion of theextended hood, which then forced some of the nitrogen flow to passthrough the bottom portion of the extended hood without circulating.Nitrogen in the internal portion of the fryer circulated and eventuallyexited the fryer either downstream or out the fryer exhaust at the topof the fryer housing.

Although it was initially theorized that it would be most effective todirect nitrogen at a downward angle towards the product submergingpoint, FIG. 20 shows that the nitrogen flow actually pulled surroundingsteam along with it to the product submerging point. In fact, the steamcomprised roughly 50% by mass of the gas surrounding the product entrypoint. The relatively stagnant nitrogen in the extended hood also causeda small amount of steam to directly bypass the extended hood and travelupstream and directly onto the product feeding into the fryer. Likewise,FIG. 21 shows that the nitrogen flow from the initial nitrogen manifoldarrangement actually pulled oxygen along its stream to the productsubmerging point.

In performing method steps h) and i), the inventors conducted thefollowing case studies:

Total N2 into Case Hood/Frame (m³/hr) Steam (kg/hr) Shield Gap (inches)1 190 1000 ¼ 2 270 800 ½ 3 190 600 1 4 350 1000 1 5 350 600 1 6 270 1000No shield 7 270 600 No shield 8 270 800 No shield 9 270 800 ¼

FIGS. 22 through 24 show several comparative results of method steps h)and i). FIG. 22 is a comparison of Case 8 (no steam shield) versus Case9 (steam shield in place) concentration gradients of nitrogen, oxygen,and steam in a fryer front end. Case 9 results were obtained after theinventors modified the fryer housing, in accordance with method step d),by adding a steam shield spanning the entire cross-sectional area of thefryer. The steam shield is generally transverse to the length of thefryer. The steam shield is made from a thin sheet of stainless steel inthe preferred embodiment, but other food-grade, heat-resistant,non-pervious corrosion-resistant materials can be substituted. In oneembodiment, an opening in the steam shield allows the mold conveyor topass through the steam shield, and a small gap between the conveyor andsteam shield can be maintained to prevent contact between the two. Inperforming step i) of the method, the inventors measured concentrationlevels of nitrogen, oxygen, and steam in the steam-shielded front-end ofthe fryer, the results of which are shown in Case 9, FIG. 22. In Cases 8and 9,270 m³/hr nitrogen (“medium nitrogen flow”) and 800 kg/hr steam(“medium steam flow”) were supplied to the fryer hood. The onlydifference between the two cases was the presence of a steam shield(Case 9) or lack thereof (Case 8).

In step j) of the method, which involves identifying trouble spots, theinventors noted that while the steam shield did significantly reduce theamount of steam present in the fryer front-end (reducing the generalsteam concentration from at least 80% to roughly 50%), there was still asignificant amount of steam at the product submerging point—roughly 50%.Moreover, the lack of steam in the fryer front-end (the vestibule, inparticular) allowed more oxygen to occupy the space, and the nitrogenflow was not enough to substantially displace the oxygen from thefront-end. The oxygen levels were still as high as about 4% at theproduct submerging point. Oxygen from the ambient air appeared to followalong the surface of the oil and entering product, slipping under theblanket of nitrogen within the vestibule. The inventors also noted thatsignificant amounts of steam leaked through the mold-conveyor opening ofthe steam shield.

FIG. 23 is a comparison of Case 5 (high nitrogen, low steam) versus Case9 (medium nitrogen, medium steam) concentration gradients of nitrogen,oxygen, and steam in a fryer front end. The left-hand column shows Case5 results, and the right-hand column shows Case 9 results. As can beseen in the figure, increasing the steam flow and decreasing thenitrogen flow (moving from Case 5 to Case 9) causes the nitrogen levelsin the vestibule to decrease, causes the steam levels in the vestibuleto increase, and has little to no effect on the oxygen levels in thevestibule. When the opposite is done (moving from Case 9 to case5)—decreasing steam flow and increasing nitrogen flow—the vestibule seeshigher nitrogen levels, lower steam levels, and little to no change inoxygen levels. More importantly, the results show that in thisparticular embodiment and nitrogen manifold arrangement, simplyincreasing nitrogen flow rates in the vestibule, even to the point whereexcess nitrogen begins to seep through the mold-conveyor gap of thesteam shield (as shown in Case 5 of FIG. 23), does not prevent oxygenfrom reaching the product submerging point.

After identifying the trouble spots as discussed above, the inventors,in accordance with step k) of the method, modified the fryer by changingthe direction of the primary nitrogen manifold (previously the singlenitrogen manifold), adding more nitrogen manifolds in various locations,and redistributing the nitrogen flow among the several nitrogenmanifolds. The inventors repeated steps i) through k) until they weresatisfied with the results. Afterwards, the primary nitrogen manifoldwas re-aimed at a downward angle toward the fryer entrance rather thanat the product submerging point. FIG. 24 is a comparison ofconcentration gradients from Case 1, shown in the left column (modifiedvestibule design), versus Case 9, shown in the right column (initialvestibule design). Even though the modified vestibule and fryer designtested in Case 1 was provided a lower nitrogen flow rate and highersteam flow rate than the original vestibule and fryer design tested inCase 9, the overall oxygen concentration was significantly lower in themodified vestibule of Case 1. Moreover, the oxygen concentration at theproduct submerging point was less than about 0.5%. This was dramaticallylower than the oxygen concentration of roughly 4% at the same locationin the original vestibule design as tested in Case 9.

The modified vestibule of Case 1, shown in the left column of FIG. 24,comprised a nitrogen nozzle/manifold slightly downstream of the entrance(pointed down and toward the entrance), an upper steam-shield-gap nozzlepointed toward the gap, and a lower steam-shield-gap nozzle also pointedtoward the gap. Although this particular arrangement did improveatmosphere control in the product-entry area, the inventors realizedthat some steam was still able to pass along the mold conveyor andthrough the steam-shield gap, even though the nitrogen gas from theupper and lower gap nozzles excluded a significant portion of the steam.The inventors thus further modified the vestibule design by adding tothe CFD model a steam-side non-condensable gaseous manifold or nitrogenmanifold (downstream from the steam shield) near the steam-shield gapand below the returning portion of the mold conveyor. This steam-sidenitrogen manifold having a plurality of nozzles or ports, which is shownin FIGS. 25 through 28, was aimed upwards and introduced nitrogen upagainst the mold conveyor and through its gaps, thereby furtherpreventing steam from entering the front-end vestibule. Note that whilethe steam-side manifold was aimed upwards in the preferred embodiment,it is also acceptable to position it above the mold conveyor and aim thegas flow downwards.

FIGS. 25 through 28 are color concentration plots and/or particle tracesshowing the levels of nitrogen, oxygen, and steam, which were measuredin accordance with another fryer embodiment resulting from theoptimization method enumerated above. In each one of the FIGS. 25through 28, the concentration levels are represented by color, where red(at the top of the color spectrum) represents relatively higherconcentrations, and violet (at the bottom of the color spectrum)represents 0%. With respect to nitrogen concentrations, the representedrange is 100% to 0%, from red to violet. With respect to oxygenconcentrations, the represented range is 2.5% to 0%, from red to violet.With respect to steam concentrations, the represented range is 5% to 0%,from red to violet. These figures, particularly FIG. 25, show how thesteam-side nitrogen manifold serves as a preventative measure in theeffort to exclude steam from the front-end vestibule. By using nitrogento displace the steam in the area immediately surrounding thesteam-shield gap on the downstream, steam side of the shield, thesteam-side manifold further reduces the amount of steam able to passthrough the gap. The steam-side manifold also helps reduce the work loadof the vestibule's upper and lower shield-gap manifolds.

FIG. 29 shows steam concentration gradients in a nine-slide progressionover time of an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the steamshield gap area shown in FIG. 25. The slides are arranged 1 through 9from left to right and top to bottom. This progression of concentrationsnapshots was developed from the CFD model, with the first slide (takenat 0.0316 seconds into the simulation) showing the initial hypotheticalcondition wherein the vestibule contains only nitrogen, the upper andlower gap manifolds in the vestibule are introducing nitrogen toward thesteam-shield gap, and the steam-side nitrogen manifold has just begun tointroduce nitrogen. In the second slide (taken at 0.1579 seconds),nitrogen from the steam-side manifold has displaced a small portion ofthe steam in the area immediately above the nozzle and has begun todisplace steam underneath one of the molds of the mold conveyor. It canbe seen that the nitrogen from the upper and lower gap manifolds isflowing towards the gap, thereby hindering steam from passing into thevestibule. Note, however, that the conveyor has pulled a small amount ofsteam into the front-end vestibule as it moves from right to left,particularly in the volume under the molds of the mold conveyor. Thethird and fourth slides show the nitrogen from the upper and lower gapmanifolds displacing some of the steam in the area immediatelydownstream of the steam-shield gap. The nitrogen flows from the upperand lower gap manifolds and the steam-side manifold have begun to meetand fill the entire gap area with nitrogen. By the last slide (taken at1.5795 seconds), it can be seen that the nitrogen from the steam-sidemanifold has already significantly helped reduce the amount of steampassing through the steam-shield gap by diluting the sparge steam behindthe steam-shield gap. Whereas the concentration of steam at the gap wasabout 50%—as seen in slides 3 and 4—before the steam-side manifold'snitrogen flow reached the gap area, the steam concentration at the gapwas reduced to roughly 10-20%—as seen in slide 9—once the steam-sidemanifold's nitrogen flow had time to disperse to the area behind thesteam-shield gap. As can be seen from theses slides, the steam-sidenitrogen manifold contributes greatly to the reduction of steam in thevestibule.

FIG. 30 is a graph of frying oil degradation (y-axis/vertical-axis)versus time (x-axis/horizontal-axis in days) in a fryer without thevestibule improvements of the present invention. Because higherdegradation values in the frying oil reduce shelf-life of friedproducts, it is generally desirable to maintain degradation values aslow as possible. In the particular experiment conducted by theinventors, which compares degradation values in the fryer oil before andafter adding the vestibule with nitrogen manifolds, the operators wereinstructed to maintain oil degradation values below a desired threshold.The threshold value is shown as a horizontal line across the bar charts.Note, however, that such threshold value is merely arbitrary and can beof any level, and it depends on the desired product freshness,shelf-life, and other factors. Typically, oil freshness (whichcorresponds to a low degradation value) is maintained by replacingoxidized or degraded oil with fresh oil, either continuously or bybatch.

FIG. 31 is a graph of frying oil degradation values(y-axis/vertical-axis) versus time (x-axis/horizontal-axis in days) in afryer having a front-end vestibule in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention. In comparing the results of FIG. 30to those of FIG. 31, one can see a significant improvement in oilquality. Whereas the majority of the oil degradation values beforeimplementing the vestibule and nitrogen manifolds ranged from about 0.83to about 1.04 of the threshold value, the majority of oil degradationvalues after implementing the vestibule and nitrogen manifolds rangedfrom about 0.74 to about 0.91 of the threshold value. Furthermore, inone embodiment, the percentage of oil wasted due to degradation improvedby about 50%.

FIG. 32 is a cube plot of oxygen levels and defect data after operatingat high sparge steam and various flow rates of the nitrogen gas from theupper, lower, and steam-side ports near the steam-shield gap in apreferred embodiment. FIG. 33 is a cube plot of oxygen levels and defectdata after operating at medium sparge steam and various flow rates ofthe nitrogen gas from the upper, lower, and steam-side ports near thesteam-shield gap in a preferred embodiment. In both cube plots, thevertical position (top or bottom of the cube) denotes the nitrogen flowrate through the lower steam-shield gap nitrogen manifold (either 20standard cubic meters per hour or 60 scmh), the horizontal positiondenotes the nitrogen flow rate through the steam-side nitrogen manifold(either 140 scmh or 180 scmh), and the depth denotes the nitrogen flowrate through the top/upper steam-shield gap nitrogen manifold (either 20scmh or 40 scmh). At each of the eight points of the cube plot, whichrepresent the results of the eight experiments, the top number is theoxygen concentration percent seen in the front-end vestibule (or hood),and the bottom number is the major defect percentage seen in theproduct. For example, when sparge steam was at a high flow rate, thelower gap nitrogen manifold was at 60 scmh, the top gap nitrogenmanifold was at 20 scmh, and the steam-side nitrogen manifold was at 140scmh, the oxygen concentration in the hood was 0.02%, and the friedproduct exhibited 0.2% major defects due to steam condensation.Experiment results and cube plots, such as the ones shown in FIGS. 32and 33, can be used to optimize the flow rates of the steam and nitrogengas to achieve the desired results—in this case, oxygen concentrationsof about 0.2% or less, and minimal to no condensate-related majordefects. FIG. 33 shows that when the sparge steam is at a medium flowrate, the lower gap nitrogen manifold is between 20 scmh to 60 scmh, thetop gap nitrogen manifold is between 20 scmh to 40 scmh, and thesteam-side nitrogen manifold is between 140 scmh and 180 scmh, the hoodoxygen concentration is at or below about 0.2%, and there were nomeasurable condensate-related major defects. In practice, thevestibule/steam-shield and nitrogen manifolds increased frying-oilefficiency by more than 50% due to decreased oil degradation rates (oilefficiency=[amount of oil that is actually carried away in goodproduct]/[total amount of oil that is used]) and reduced the amount ofsteam related product defects.

The nitrogen (or other inert gas manifolds) manifolds preferablycomprise a multi-ported manifold for introducing a curtain of nitrogengas having a relatively uniform distribution. The multiple nitrogenflows from each single nozzle or port should ideally join togethershortly after leaving each port in order to form such a curtain of inertgas. In one embodiment, each port has fan-shaped tips for spreading thenitrogen gas in several directions, thus creating an overall gaseouscurtain. In one embodiment, this curtain of gas runs the width of thevestibule opening. The objective is to flush, with a flow stream, thevestibule opening to prevent non-condensable gases from entering thevestibule. Thus, other devices for introducing a curtain of inert gas ofwhich those skilled in the art may be aware can also be used withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the inert gas is pre-heated prior to being introducedinto the environment. The non-condensable inert gas is preferablypreheated to a temperature of more than about 212° F., more preferablypre-heated to a temperature of more than 300° F., and most preferablyheated to a temperature of more than about 350° F. Heating the inert gasreduces its density and thereby increases its volume in the openenvironment which will improve the effectiveness of a given amount ofgas and allow for a reduction in inert gas usage to achieve a givenperformance. In addition, a heated non-condensable gas contributes to alower dewpoint in the vestibule, further decreasing the rate of productdefects. It is recognized that one skilled in the art could also extendthis concept to include using superheated steam as an inertnon-condensing gas if the steam were superheated sufficiently.

Note that this invention can be applied to other types of fryers andother food product dehydration systems where steam condensation is aproblem. For example, in a conventional deep-frying device (batch orcontinuous) where the product to be fried is introduced at one end ofthe fryer and removed at the other end, the front-end feeding areaimmediately above the frying oil can be separated from the main body ofthe fryer with a steam shield so that steam evolved from frying does nottravel upstream and condense on the cooler-temperature, enteringproducts. If frying oil degradation is also of concern, the front end ofthe fryer, upstream from the steam shield, can be enclosed to form avestibule, and inert gas manifolds, nozzles, and/or ports can be used todisplace the oxygen within the vestibule. The vestibule effectivenesscan be optimized by the CFD modeling method discussed above. Othermethods of optimizing, however, can be used including but not limited tobrute-force experimentation and pilot-plant modeling. In a brute-forcemethod of optimization, for example, the pre-existing fryer is testedand then modified progressively with repeated tests throughout forcomparisons of different combinations of variables, and a finalarrangement is found by using the settings that produced the mostfavorable results. If mathematical modeling is used, several testsresults are taken, and those data points are then interpolated to derivea mathematical relationship between input variables and output results.Those mathematical relationships can then be used to determine thetheoretical optimal arrangement and/or flow rates.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A fryer comprising: an oil pan for containing frying oil; a fryerhood enclosing the volume immediately above the oil pan; at least onesteam stack on said fryer hood; an upstream end for receiving a productto be fried in said oil pan; a product-entry point where the productwill enter the frying oil during operation; a fryer midsection adjacentsaid upstream end, said fryer midsection located downstream of saidupstream end; a downstream end adjacent said fryer midsection forremoving the product; a steam shield positioned slightly downstream fromthe product-entry point and located within the fryer hood, therebyseparating said upstream end from said fryer midsection; and at leastone non-condensable inert gas manifold(s) for introducing anon-condensable inert gas, each manifold having at least one inert gasport(s), wherein at least one of said non-condensable inert gas port(s)is located within said upstream end and upstream of said steam shield.2. The fryer of claim 1 wherein said at least one of saidnon-condensable inert gas port(s) directs said inert gas upstream anddownward.
 3. The fryer of claim 1 wherein said non-condensable inert gascomprises nitrogen.
 4. The fryer of claim 1 wherein said at least one ofsaid non-condensable inert gas port(s) is located and oriented near avestibule opening such that a how of said non condensable inert gasthrough said port(s) reduces entry of an undesirable gas into avestibule.
 5. The fryer of claim 4 wherein said non-condensable inertgas manifold is located above or below said vestibule opening and saidport is oriented such that a flow of said inert gas through said port(s)reduces entry of an undesirable gas into said vestibule.
 6. The fryer ofclaim 1 wherein said non-condensable inert gas is pre-heated.
 7. Thefryer of claim 1 wherein said steam shield inhibits steam fromcontacting said product in said product-entry point.
 8. A fryercomprising: an oil pan for containing frying oil; a fryer hood enclosingthe volume immediately above the oil pan; at least one steam stack onsaid fryer hood; an upstream end for receiving a product to be fried insaid oil pan having a vestibule bounded by a steam shield, wherein saidvestibule encompasses a product-entry point where the product enters thefrying oil during operation; a fryer midsection adjacent said upstreamend, said fryer midsection located downstream of said upstream end; adownstream end adjacent said fryer midsection for removing the product;and at least one non-condensable inert gas manifold(s) for introducing anon-condensable inert gas, each manifold having at least one inert gasport(s), wherein at least one of said non-condensable inert gas port(s)is located within said upstream end and upstream of said steam shield.9. The fryer of claim 8 wherein said steam shield is positioned slightlydownstream from the product-entry point and located within the fryerhood, thereby separating said upstream end from said fryer midsection.10. The fryer of claim 8 wherein said steam shield inhibits steam fromcontacting said product in said upstream end.
 11. A fryer comprising: anoil pan for containing frying oil; a fryer hood enclosing the volumeimmediately above the oil pan; at least one steam stack on said fryerhood; an upstream end for receiving a product to be fried in said oilpan; a product-entry point where the product will enter the frying oilduring operation; a fryer midsection adjacent said upstream end; adownstream end adjacent said fryer midsection for removing the product;a steam shield positioned slightly downstream from the product-entrypoint and located within the fryer hood, thereby separating saidupstream end from said fryer midsection; and a mold conveyor positionedwithin said fryer hood and at least partially submerged within saidfrying oil, wherein said mold conveyor is designed to mate with theproduct after entering the frying oil, said mold conveyor furthercomprising a submerging section and a return section; wherein said steamshield by separating said upstream end from said fryer midsectiondefines a front-end vestibule enclosing a volume around saidproduct-entry point, said stream shield further comprising asteam-shield gap through which said mold conveyor can pass; and an inertgas manifold having at least one first port for introducing anon-condensable inert gas, wherein said inert gas manifold is positionedwithin said front-end vestibule, above the frying oil, and slightlyupstream from the product entry point.
 12. The fryer of claim 11 furthercomprising a second inert gas manifold having at least one second port,wherein said second inert gas manifold is positioned adjacent to themold conveyor and immediately upstream from the steam-shield gap. 13.The fryer of claim 12 further comprising a third inert gas manifoldhaving at least one third inert gas port(s), wherein said third inertgas manifold is positioned slightly below the return section of the moldconveyor and immediately upstream from the steam-shield gap, and furtherwherein said second inert gas manifold is positioned slightly above thereturn section of the mold conveyor and immediately upstream from thesteam-shield gap.
 14. The fryer of claim 13 further comprising a fourthinert gas manifold having at least one port, wherein said fourth inertgas manifold is positioned adjacent to the mold conveyor and immediatelydownstream from the steam-shield gap, and further wherein said fourthinert gas port(s) is aimed in a direction that is roughly parallel tothe surface of the steam shield around the steam-shield gap.
 15. Thefryer of claim 11 wherein the first inert gas port is aimed upstream anddown towards the frying oil and upstream end of the fryer hood.
 16. Thefryer of claim 11 wherein said steam shield inhibits steam fromcontacting said product in said front-end vestibule.